Tonya Harding is a former figure skater who was in a huge controversial scandal following the assault on fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan in 1994. She was later found guilty of conspiring the attack and was sentenced to three days in jail.
A mockumentary biopic, I, Tonya was released in 2017 depicting the life of the former figure skater. The movie in which Marge Robbie portrayed her role, was critically successful and earned an Academy Award for best supporting actress for Allison Janney.
Harding was born on November 12, 1970, in Portland, Oregon to Albert Gordon Harding and LaVona Golden. Her parents divorced when she was 17 years old. She had a tumulous relationship with her mother, alleging both physical and mental abuse.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Tonya Maxene Price aka Tonya Harding |
| Date of Birth | November 12, 1970 |
| Place of Birth | Portland, Oregon |
| Nationality | American |
| Parents | Albert Gordon Harding and LaVona Golden |
| Spouse(s) | Jeff Gillooly (m. 1990-1993) Michael Smith (m. 1995-1996) Joseph Price (m. 2010) |
| Known For | Former figure skater. |
What Happened To Tonya Harding -Where Is She Now?
Tonya Harding was in the middle of a huge scandal in the 1990s following the assault of Nancy Kerrigan. She later confessed to helping cover up and her involvement in the planning and execution.
On January 6, 1994, a person named Shane Stant struck Nancy Kerrigan to the thigh with a telescopic baton as she walked down a corridor in Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan. She had been practicing skating on an ice rink in the arena shortly beforehand.
Jeff Gillooly, Tonya’s ex-husband, and Shawn Eckardt planned the attack and hired Stant and his uncle Derrick Smith to carry out the assault. After initially denying the knowledge of the attack, Tonya accepted a plea agreement admitting that she helped cover up the attack.
However, the grand jury and a disciplinary panel from the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA) would find further evidence of Tonya’s involvement during the planning and execution. As a result, she was banned for life from USFSA figure skating events.
The attack was intended to prevent Nancy Kerrigan from taking part in the 1994 United States Figure Skating Championships and the upcoming Winter Olympics. Though she could not compete in the US Championship, the figure skater recovered in time to compete in the Winter Olympics.
After being banned from skating, Harding tried her luck in boxing and also worked as a welder, a deck builder, a painter at a metal fabrication company, and a hardware sales clerk at Sears. She currently lives in Vancouver, Washington.
Tonya Harding’s Husband And Married Life
Tonya Harding started dating Jeff Gillooly in September 1986 when she was 15 and he was 17. After living together for two years, the couple married on March 18, 1990. The marriage was going fine but they decided to divorce on August 28, 1993.
Harding’s second marriage was to a man named Michael Smith in 1995. However, the marriage didn’t last long as they divorced a year later in 1996.
She then began a romantic relationship with Darren Silver. However, it was filled with turmoil as Harding attacked Silver in February 2000. She repeatedly punched his face and threw a hubcap at his head, leaving him with a bloodied face. She was arrested and after a trial, was sentenced to three days in jail and ten days of community service, and a suspended jail sentence of 167 days.
The former figure skater married Joseph Price on June 23, 2010. The couple became parents of a son named Gordon, born on February 19, 2011.
Tonya Harding’s Net Worth
The exact net worth has not been revealed yet. However, it is estimated that the former figure skater is worth at least $2 million.
After her ban from figure skating, Tonya took on boxing and had a record of three wins and three losses. However, her career was cut short by asthma.
In 1996, she was seen in an action film, Breakaway. The movie focused on her being unwittingly involved in an organized crime syndicate’s attempt to violently recover $300,000 of stolen money.
Apart from that, Harding was also seen in various reality series and television shows such as The Weakest Link, truTV Presents The World’s Dumbest, Worst Cook in America, and season 26 of Dancing with the Stars, where she finished third.
Tonya Harding is on Instagram as @therealtonyaharding.